Suspension hanger



Feb. 8, 1949. F. w. STANKE ETAL SUSPENSlON HANGER .2 sheets-sheet 1Filed March 15, 1941 ,Feu-8,1949.. F. w. 'STANKE Erm. 2,460,856

SUSPENSION' HANGER I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 13, 1941 Patented Feb.8, 19H49 z, 241303356 ffsUseENsmN mwen-1t Mlwaukeagandplyd Fi-Bllinvention-.pertains to; milking-apparatus' of the suspensorytypewwtiereimamilkareeiver andiintereonneetedwteat eupseare-suspendediupon a.- hanger supported upon aecows bach eharacterisj,ieYYVfeaturel of thefpresent ape.

patates is that ythe milkoreeeiverisv supportentv upon a two-pointsuspension for lateral rocking meti-on: tov andfro abou-tf an; axislo.rllgitu dinal-l-y.Y of the cow, and is substantially-resistantv12o-foreand oscillation.- The. present. disclesure.. is; ifurtherdevelopment and? improvement voff-.that disclosed-l incopen'ding- .applicationl Seria1f\-No, 31o-,602; il'ed January 351..,Y1940;, now.- matured?intol Letters Patenti No'. 23340291;ii'ssued!Ilebigifiary. 1f, 1944:.

Therobj eeti-r of .the invention; .isi x60 mpleve $121.6.- I

construetion;f as; well aswthefmeans and-1.mode;` of;l operationof-suspensory.typeymilkingg apparatu whereby it. may-.note onllv. bereeoIlQII-ically:.` menue-1 featured 1 and operated',` but wilt-bemere:efficient.

iniuse automatic Einf: action; uni-forni 013er.atilolii,l few operating'i partspandfzunlike e150. geit; out. of repair; 1

f A.. further.` object:V ofV the-'invention ie' .tdzprovide a suspensorydevice; orzhang'er of "thexsuroingle" type havingrd'oubie point; support-t forlazrmilk receiver;

further object .of .theninvention is tozprovde an' improve-d: mountingor; hangen uponfwhieh .the milk re'ceiver-` w-illfbe hinged'l for:rdckiri'gszoii cradle:

motion transversely@ or :thecow andi about airone.

and.. aftv` Aaxis.

A further object/of: thea inventi-oiietofprovde l@ Figi. Ziea-perspective view ofthe milking (alo.-` iiaratusand-preferredqmodi-fied form of asus` hemsory hangerobservedtrom a. different point.W'ith theV above .l primary and other incidental ciNieva-in;itsfrelationto'the cow.

,.lige 3t is aperspectiveview of the ini-Iker unit,`

fincluding .the receiver-or pailf-the cluster .of` teatcups and :thepu-lsator device inassembled relationpbiflt'removed.- from-thesuspensory hanger.

Figiv 4.A is-..ad ifagrammatic Viewy ofthe milk receiverf.-andfsuspensoryhanger viewed lin a. fore :Y and. att directioneoinciden-t with thev axisv of os:-` c-il1ation l of them-ilk receivervand indicating diagrammatica'lgly thecompound or dual swingingIllLQtioi-rinduced during the milking operation. l

Fig. 541s a perspective Viewof the supportingv` 3.0 hangentas-shownin.Fig-,1', bvwhich the `mi'jlk an improved mode" orA alternating.operation U wherein any? tension ori. tuggingnaotiori -trans-V- 5^mitted -t'o the teats-wili exerted* alternately unendiffere'nt-teats; asdistinguishedifom ai fore and iai-t swine-ing: motions. vizhereintAaII-fftheteams A A iurtherobject of the;-inventiozisisltoeprovi'dei' as'uspensoryihangeiaandf a met-h 'of' mounting? miikfreeeiveiertnereonflforlfreef. atevaifswingi-ngl on rocking.- motion, Whchirfw'upon the: teat caps` andy cowsi-vte'atsf andi: strangulfation thereof. yY

.A tartiner-object of` theinventionffis-.tm provid-'el ani'.improvedf'metl'iodr` ovv-modem" meen-airmail milkin-g. whcla- .wi-1tyresult. "more uniforme aridi;-

co'z'nieleiiey milking;- andr-Wlfch-fwili minimize 'the' necessity. forsubsequent-z1hantfstripping.k

.- A :furtherobi ect of thefinvention.; is;A tos. provide a. suspensorytype' milking apparatus l.l-iavingl:.ftiz` advantageous-.x structuralif4=ieaturi-es.ix aridi.. .theay im. herentzmeritorious;eharacteristicsgxandeimprovedmetlfl'o'dtotoneration;herein;Imeritiemei.v 1

A. iurther; but .none zthe lesszinnontant; zohe'ct.

minimize strain.

" beenf'mountedt forosci'llatory motion, and` when?capableiotsuchimotionthev have been `suspended fromiasingleepointori-impelledrina fore'and aft Y direction flowthereacti'on. ofthepulsating mechariismxk :.'Fherspresentastructure; diifers therefrornf bvproviding for controlled bi-lateral oscillation" of the invention is toprodnceea llactioman ueneeupon .the coviinzisimulati'oraonzaieuckingoaif. f

reeewer fis' mount-ed-fortransverse oscillatory-J motion.; y

Figs? 67,11 andi 8 illustrate oi the'ahangermember-- y ofi inference;throughoutetheseveral views.

s;Milking;anparezus'r tobe 'suspended froml the cow-fs-iffbackeduring#miikin-goperation has `long beenfknownn. -Su'chfdevices havenotordinarily transverse-1y: of. rthat cow orrffwhich. the apparatusis'.1n011`nted about ardeinite` fore and ait axis; Abywhichezanyrtuggingi aetion` ris'. transmitted altere mately/i tdiferentteatsf to. which: the apparatusY iswcennectedr. In respect: andoth-ersr it differs materially-.fromtzpriorart devices. and induces an Yimproved :mil-king action'. whichzinduces at better responseffbyftheeowfand results in morev com'- iriete and nii'orm milking: operation,leavingy lessresidueoiifmiik.to='=be1removed by. hand stripping;

rietei-irinzg fte therdraw-ings, lV is: the milkfreceiver, havingan*upstanding'1bai]'orv handle: 2, theitopi 366% which is continued: asan overhangaizcvlateea' .4; The receivery spout Slupoa whi'eh furthermodications i In'kefpartsv are-.vindicated byA similar characters is aremovable cover 6. Flexible milk tubes T connect a group of double wallpulsating teatj A handle lia.

Air tubes 9,' 'connect the several teat cups 8 with a pulsatorfunit I0 Ymounted on the spout lid 6. An air exhaust con- Aduit Ii connectsalternating pairs of teat cups 8 and also the interior of the'receiveriwith a-v vacuum chamber or with a pump (not shown) by which Vacuum ismaintained within the receiver I and the pulsating chambers of theteatcups are alternately subjected'to exhaustion and opened to atmosphere. in

The milk receiver I is suspended from the cowsback by a surcingle I2, towhich is secured Y a bow-shaped hanger member preferably formed from ametal rod. This hanger member may be of various forms, the preferableshape-being that shown in Figs. 2 and 6. In even-t, the hanger includesa pair of relatively spaced fingers or hooks I4 which are aligned inafore and aft direction when V.the hanger is mounted on a cow.

The hooks or fingers I4 are detachably engaged with the bail of the milkreceiver I, by engaging one hook or iinger I4 beneath the transverse top3 of the bail adjacent to one side thereof and engaging the other` ngeror hookbeneath the overhanging cantilever extension 4 of the bail.Obviously, the bail or handle 'might be made of sufficient width toenable both of the relatively spaced ngers or hooks 'M to be engagedbeneath the transverse top 3 of the bail and intermediate the uprightlegs thereof.- However, the projected end 4 of the bail which asparticularly shown in Fig. 3 overhangs the pulsator unit enables amorecompact construction and prevents interference of a wider lbail with the'spout and the parts mounted thereon.` It also facilitates theengagement and disengagement of the receiver with the hanger.

As shown in Figs. 2 andY 6, the preferred form cal relation with thearcuate hanger rod I5 is a U-shaped member I1, of which the receiversupporting fingers Id vcomprise the parallel sides. The fingers I4' may'be of simple form as shown in Fig. 6 or may double back upon.themselves as shown in Fig. 2. member I 'l is disposed with itsparallelarcuate side fingers or hooks I4 extendingsubstantially horizontallyvwith their concavesides uppermost, and is xedly welded in such relationto the rod I5 coincident with one side oirVY the bight I6 thereof. Y

Merely as illustrative of an alternative form of hanger. there is shownin Figs. 1 vand 5 a double U-shaped-frame, comprising twoarcuate rodsVI8 disposed in inclined relation to each other andinterconnected attheir ends with `their mid-bight4 the top 3 of the bail and the otherbeneath the extended arcuate arm 4 thereof as before scribed, and asshownin Fig. 1.

One end of each hanger I5 and I8 peri-na-V nently attached to one endofgthe strap orV sur-V cingle I2, while the other end is adjustably.con- Lo cated partially within the bight I6 in symmetri-r TheVsubstantially U-shaped- 4 nected theretoto enable the apparatus to beapplied toc'ows of different size.V Cowsv vary greatly'in size andshape. To accommodate the apparatus .to dierent cows, one end of thesurcingle is provided with a chain extension 20 which is engageable atdifferent points in a terminal hook ZIon the hanger member. The hook isnot'necessarily engaged in the eye of a link of the chain, but any linkis engageable flatly in the bight of the hook against which thesucceeding link of the chain will 1then abut. This enables the hangerlto be more quickly applied and removed.

Obviously, the hanger member may be variously formed, always, however,in such shape as to suport the receiver l for bi-lateral swinging motionabout a fore and aft axis.

'In Fig. 'l there isV illustrated a modification of the hanger shown inFigs. 2 and 6,.wherein one side of the bight IS is directly engaged bythe bail arm` I4 inlieu of a second hook or finger E d'ln Fig'. '8f thehanger of Figs. l and 5 is shown with-afsingle supporting bow I 8'instead of the double bows I8. Y

The milk lreceiver"movement is graphically illustrated Ain Fig.V 4.'-The bow-shaped hanger member, Whether itbe in the form of Figs. 5, 6,'1 or 8,' is somewhat wider than the body of the cow. The Vsurcingle I2will conform to the upper p0rtion of the cows back when suspendedthereon, but from approximately the point 22 to the connection'with forexample, the hanger i8' the surcingle Vwill 'extend divergently awayfrom the cows sides. f As a result, the hanger I B' suspended on theopposite ends of the surcingle as upon parallelflinkswill be free forlimited to and fro parallel motion transverselyofthe cow. The milkreceiver I suspended upon the hooks or iingers Mis capable of furthertransverse to and fro motion additional to that of the hanger about afore and aft axis coincident with the dual suspension points of thereceiver upon the spaced hooks I4. Theoretically, the entire hanger andsuspended milk receiver are initially movable iirst in one direction'and then in'the other about the two points 22-where the-',surcinglevmeets the cows sides, and the receiver is capable of further synchronouseccentric swinging movement independently of andrelative to the hangerabout its suspension pointon vthe hooks oriingers I4. This bi-lateral,swinging motion of the receiver and hanger is .induced :by thealternating action of the pulsator 4IfLrwhich energizes the pair of teatcups at one side and then the opposite pair by alternate exhaustion andadmission of air to the pulsating chambers thereof. This alternationbetween the teats at one sideand then at the opposite side, therebyeffecting a loi-lateral milking action, is in, accordance with thenatural division of the cows nervous system into right and left.l

While two teats are being milked, the opposite pair of teats are beingmassaged in imitation of the 'natural action of the calfA in sucking.The calfy exerts just enough suction .toV extract the milk and then inswallowing the withdrawn milk acter described possessing the particularfeatures of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but whichobviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions,detail construction and arrangement of parts without departing from theprinciple involved or sacrificing any of its advantages.

While in order to comply with the statute, the invention has beendescribed in language more or less specic as to structural features, itis to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specificfeatures shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosedcomprise the preferred form of several modes of putting the inventionint-o effect, and the invention is therefore claimed in any of its formsor modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

l. In a milking apparatus, a suspensory hanger including a bow to extendbeneath a cow, a surcingle interconnecting the ends of the bow andextending over the cows back, relatively spaced suspension supports uponthe bow disposed in aligned relation transversely thereof, a milkreceiver having double point suspension upon the spaced supports fortransverse oscillatory motion in opposite directions from vertical abouta fore and aft axis, teat cups and flexible milk tubes interconnectingthe swinging milk receiver with the cows teats, and a` pulsatormechanism for imparting suction influence to the teat cups at one sideof the axis of oscillation alternately with the imparting of likesuction iniiuence to the teat cups at the opposite side of the axis ofoscillation,

the construction and arrangement being such that swinging motion will betransmitted to the milk receiver rst in one direction past verticalposition and then in the opposite direction past vertical position,wherein the milk receiver will describe a swinging movement in an arc ofshort radius, the swinging movement of the milk receiver operating toimpart a tugging action alternately to diiierent portions of the cowsteats.

2. A milking apparatus oi the type wherein a milkreceiver is suspendedbeneath a cow upon a suspension member engageable with the cows back bymeans of a surcingle extending thereover, characterized by a hanger bowmember, the ends of which are secured to the surcingle, spaced alignedbearings on the hanger upon which the milk receiver may be suspendedbeneath the cow independently of connection with the cows teats, and bywhich it may have to and fro swinging motion transversely of the cowabout a fore and aft axis in alternating directions past verticalposition, a plurality of pneumatic pulsating teat cups and milk tubesconnecting the milk receiver with the cows teats, including a pair ofteat cups connected with the cows teats at one side of the axis ofoscillation of the milk receiver and a pair of teat cups connected withthe cows teats at the opposite side of the axis of oscillation, andpulsator mechanism controlling the admission and exhaustion of air toand from the pairs of teat cups at the opposite sides of the axis ofoscillation alternately, the construction and arrangement being suchthat the admission and exhaustion of air to and from the respective.pairs of teat cups alternately induces to and fro swinging motion ofthe milk receiver and that tugging influence is transmitted to therespective pairs of teats alternately, in unison with the 6 to and froswinging motion of the milk receiver past vertical position.

3. A milking apparatus wherein a milk receiver is suspended beneath acow independently of connection with the cowsteats and may have to andfro lateral swaying motion transversely of the fore and aft direction ofthe cow, including pneumatic pulsating teat cups flexibly connected withthe receiver, a hanger comprising a bow member to extend transverselybeneath the cow, and a surcingle connecting the ends of the bow memberover the cows back, a pair of spaced supports disposed on opposite sidesof the plane of the bow and aligned transversely thereof in a fore andaft directionl relative to the cow, the milk receiver being suspendedupon the spaced hanger supports for to and fro oscillation transverselyof the cow about afore and aft axis,

' and pulsator mechanism for admitting and exhausting air to and fromteat cups at opposite sides of the axis of oscillation alternately, theconstruction being such that the alternate admission and exhaustion ofair to and from opposite teat cups transmits to the milk receiver osci1latory motion first in one direction and then in the other.

4. In a milking apparatus, a suspensory hanger for supporting a milkreceiver including a bow to extend beneath a cow, a surcingle connectingthe ends of the bow and to extend over the cows back on which it issupported, the spacing of the ends of the bow being greater than thetransverse thickness of the cows body in the plane of the hanger wherebythe ends of the surcingle will extend divergently from the cows sides totheir juncture with the ends of the bow, and the latter will be capableof to and fro swinging motion upon the ends of the surcingle in an arcconcentric with the point of engagement thereof upon the cows back,relatively spaced supports carried by the hanger bow alignedtransversely thereof, and a milk receiver suspended upon the relativelyspaced supports and movable to and fro in unison with the movement ofthe bow and capable of further oscillatory movement in'like directionindependent thereof in an arc concentric with its points of suspensionupon the spaced supports about a fore and aft axis :common to the spacedsupports.

FRANK W. STANKE. LLOYD F. BENDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the `file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number

